Indian Cup vs US Cup
vs Metric. The real sizes.
The Indian cup isn't 240 ml. It often isn't even a single fixed size. Here's what one cup actually means in Indian recipes versus the US and metric standards — and what that means in grams for the ingredients you bake with.
A US cup is 236.59 ml. A metric cup is 250 ml. The Indian cup is usually 200 ml in traditional cookbooks, often 240 ml in modern Indian-English food sites, and occasionally 250 ml. Always check what cup the recipe author used — or weigh in grams.
The four cup sizes
US Cup
236.59mlThe standard for King Arthur, NYT Cooking, Bon Appétit, Sally's Baking Addiction. Almost all American recipes assume this.
Metric Cup
250mlUsed in Australia, New Zealand, and Canadian metric recipes. Roughly 6% larger than US.
Indian Cup
200-250mlNot standardised. Most Indian cookbooks define their own cup — often 200 ml (the historical Indian standard), sometimes 240 ml (the US borrow), occasionally 250 ml. The same recipe written by two authors can mean different things.
Imperial Cup
284.13mlHistorical UK measurement. Almost never used in modern recipes; included for completeness.
One cup in grams, side by side
Weights for common baking ingredients in each cup system. The Indian column assumes the 200 ml traditional cup — if your recipe uses a different cup size, weigh in grams instead.
| Ingredient | Indian (200 ml) | US (236.6 ml) | Metric (250 ml) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-Purpose Flour also: maida, plain flour, refined wheat flour | 106g | 125g | 132g |
| Whole Wheat Flour also: atta, chapati flour, आटा | 101g | 120g | 127g |
| Besan also: gram flour, chickpea flour, bengal gram flour | 78g | 92g | 97g |
| Rice Flour (white) also: chawal atta, chawal ka atta | 134g | 158g | 167g |
| Semolina also: rava, sooji, suji | 141g | 167g | 176g |
| Granulated Sugar | 169g | 200g | 211g |
| Jaggery also: gur, gud, गुड़ | 169g | 200g | 211g |
| Butter also: makhan, मक्खन | 192g | 227g | 240g |
| Ghee also: desi ghee, घी | 184g | 218g | 230g |
| Yogurt (plain) also: curd, dahi, दही | 207g | 245g | 259g |
| Whole Milk | 206g | 244g | 258g |
Indian and Metric weights are scaled from the verified US density per ingredient — accurate when the recipe truly uses that cup size. Best practice: weigh in grams.
Why the Indian cup is the worst-case
Most countries settled on one cup size and stuck with it. The US fixed theirs at 236.59 ml (8 fluid ounces). Australia and New Zealand picked a clean 250 ml. India never standardised.
Old Indian recipe books — especially Tarla Dalal-era publications — use a 200 ml cup, which roughly matches a sub-continental teacup. Newer Indian food blogs and YouTube creators (many writing for an international audience) tend to use the 240 ml US cup. Some — usually the more measurement-conscious ones — explicitly state 250 ml.
The result: the same phrase "1 cup maida" can mean 100 g, 120 g, or 125 g depending on who wrote it. That's up to a 25% variance. In a sponge cake, that's the difference between a tender crumb and a dry brick.
What to actually do
- Check the front of the cookbook. Good Indian cookbooks state the cup size on the equipment page. If they don't, assume 200 ml for older / traditional sources and 240 ml for newer English-language blogs.
- Buy a kitchen scale. A digital scale costs under ₹500 / $10 and ends the conversation. Recipes become reproducible and faster — no nested cup-and-tablespoon sets to wash.
- When unsure, weigh. The gram weights on this site are tested, sourced, and consistent regardless of which cup the original recipe used. Look up the ingredient, take the gram value, ignore the cup.
Frequently asked
How big is an Indian cup?+
There is no single Indian cup. Older Indian cookbooks use a 200 ml cup; newer ones often adopt the 240 ml US cup; some use 250 ml metric. Always check the front of the cookbook for the author's definition, or weigh ingredients in grams to avoid the question entirely.
Is a US cup the same as a metric cup?+
No. A US cup is 236.59 ml; a metric cup is 250 ml. The difference is about 6% — enough to noticeably affect cakes, breads, and any recipe with precise hydration.
Should I use the same cup measure for liquids and dry ingredients?+
Volumetrically yes — 1 cup of water and 1 cup of flour occupy the same volume. By weight they're wildly different. Liquid measuring cups exist for accuracy (easier to read at eye level) but the actual cup size is the same.
Why do my Indian-recipe cakes turn out differently than the photos?+
The most common cause is the cup-size mismatch. An Indian author using a 200 ml cup writes '1 cup maida' meaning ~100 g. A reader using a US 240 ml measuring cup will add 125 g — 25% more flour, enough to make the cake dense.
What should I do — switch to grams?+
Yes. A 10-rupee kitchen scale eliminates every conversion problem on this page. Recipe-by-recipe, weighing ingredients is faster, cleaner, and reproducible across kitchens. Most experienced Indian bakers have already made the switch.
Does ml = gram for cup conversions?+
Only for water. Every other ingredient has its own density. 1 ml of flour weighs about 0.53 g; 1 ml of honey weighs about 1.42 g. That's why every conversion on this site is ingredient-specific.